London Relocation’s 12 Days of Christmas – Day the Twelfth

I once again interrupt my regularly scheduled Weekend Warrior Sunday to continue our Relocation agency’s version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas“—may it make your move more festive! The next line in the original is: “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me twelve drummers drumming.”

Please join me in now singing our Christmas carol:

“On the twelfth day of Christmas, London gave to me…

LONDON DRUMMERS TEACHING…”

In a culturally and musically diverse city like this, there’s something for everyone. City life moves faster than the quieter villages of the English countryside, of course, so sometimes locals feel the need to tap into a calming and creative outlet to balance out their busy lives. Some will do yoga, others will go for a run. One friend of mine took an unexpected route altogether: African drumming. In soul-searching amidst a corporate career, he found great peace and enjoyment in learning to play the drums, and it simultaneously expanded his cultural appreciation. If partaking in a class with multiple people, it also becomes a very communal, uniting experience with the collaborative rhythm uplifting the spirits and tapping into the emotions as music does so well. Random as it might sound, there are tons of drumming lessons available all over for individuals or corporate team-building (e.g., www.drumcafe.co.uk, www.londonafricandrumming.co.uk, www.venavidrums.co.uk, www.african-drumbeat.co.uk), and African music is a component of the UK education curriculum. It’s reflective of a prominent UK demographic and the open-mindedness and well-roundedness of locals. When you move here, you embrace the world and get to know yourself in unexpected ways by challenging yourself to try new things.

I’m not saying this is something unique to England, obviously, nor is this post or our previous Twelve Days of Christmas only about the specific activities and places described: it’s more so the spirit of learning new things. When it comes down to it, there’s something about an international relocation in general that feels like turning a new leaf; it motivates you to reinvent yourself, to dapple into passions you might’ve never made time for previously and to come together with people of all walks of life you might’ve never otherwise met. Why? Because why not? You’ve come this far, right? Moving from overseas is no small feat; in doing so, you’re embracing change, so this is not the time to sell yourself short. Stretch your mind and your abilities to their brink; find out what you’re really made of. We all march to the beat of a different drummer—and find your rhythm.